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Thankfully, Bones is neither a heated-up knock-off of Fever To Tell nor a fan-alienating abandonment of their signature sound. It is instead, a supremely confident 12-song cut that has a remarkable weightiness.
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UrbThe best thing about the second Yeah Yeah Yeahs album is the fact that it defies expectations, yet seems like the perfectly logical next step for such an adventurous band. [Apr 2006, p.81]
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Entertainment WeeklyShow Your Bones picks up where "Maps" left off, with the trio finding a middle ground between self-conscious primitivism and refined pop. [31 Mar 2006, p.60]
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The group cuts through style in pursuit of substance, using Fever to Tell's slow-burning hit "Maps" as a jump-off point.
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Only about two hairs-breadth away from being a masterpiece.
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No, local slump-spotters, this isn't the Yeahs' Room on Fire. Far from it.
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Fabulous.
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Los Angeles TimesThis is minimalist rock with real feeling and a subversive, epic range. [4 Mar 2006]
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With Show Your Bones, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have proven themselves worthy of the hype, and, more importantly, the excitement caused by an undeniably fantastic record.
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The few tracks on Show Your Bones that sound like they might have fit on Fever to Tell clearly constitute the new album’s weaker links.
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As before, the band's willingness to ground itself in human emotion sets it apart.
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Short answer: it’s good.
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There's no 'difficult second album' syndrome here - Show Your Bones is the sound of a bang irretrievably, irresistibly and deservedly hurtling towards the big time.
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Though they've shed the cheap - but undeniably fun - Day-Glo immediacy of 'Fever...', it's been replaced by a range of expressions that most artists will only stumble upon by their fifth release.
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If 'Fever To Tell' was a scratchy post punk effort, then this is their gothic record.
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This album is, above all, a textural triumph, a quantum bounce from the brittle jitter and insect-chatter fuzz of the band's 2001 Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP and 2003's full-length Fever to Tell. It's as if the Velvet Underground had gone from the black-crusted minimalism of their first album right to the pop bloom of their fourth, Loaded.
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It may not be the album many critics and fans were expecting from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but it's undeniably the right record for them at the right time, a shrewd display of awareness of both craft and, more importantly, of self too often lacking in modern rock.
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Alternative PressShow Your Bones is the sort of second album that, rather than being a sophomore slump, makes you anxiously wonder what albums three, four and five will sound like. [May 2006, p.176]
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Q MagazineAgainst the odds, the band have managed to keep things small and strange, and learned a few thrilling new tricks along the way. [Apr 2006, p.110]
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UncutIt's only when they change pace on "Cheated Hearts" and the equally poignant "Dudley"... that Bones makes its mark as a worthy successor to Fever. [Apr 2006, p.98]
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A more shaded, musically expressive version of the continuing story of [Karen] O.
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Show Your Bones is much more accessible than its predecessor, but there isn't really a "Maps" to serve as a gateway.
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It's flawed, but applause for adding vulnerability to their game plan, at the very least.
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MojoIt's far from disappointing. [Apr 2006, p.106]
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Under The RadarThe album is a bit top-heavy... But Show Your Bones is nonetheless rewarding. [#13, p.89]
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On Show Your Bones the Yeah Yeah Yeahs occupy only one corner of the territory they claimed on Fever, walking confidently in their own footsteps but without claiming any new ground.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 84 out of 99
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Mixed: 11 out of 99
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Negative: 4 out of 99
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Aug 15, 2011Really good album. Great follow-up to Fever To Tell. It amazes me how they've evolved as a band.
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Sep 20, 2018
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FabioLSep 7, 2007A great album all around. Worlds different than Fever to Tell... still a masterpiece.